Five more frigates are on way for Royal Navy
RISHI Sunak has announced the construction of five more British warships, which are due to be based at Devonport – but he has declined to commit to boosting defence spending to 3% of GDP.
The Prime Minister is attending the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, which looks set to be dominated by the fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
As part of steps the UK is taking to strengthen its security in the face of increased threats from Moscow, Mr Sunak announced that defence manufacturer BAE Systems has been awarded a £4.2 billion contract to build five more Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy, on top of the three already under construction.
The Prime Minister said: “Russia’s actions put all of us at risk. As we give the Ukrainian people the support they need, we are also harnessing the breadth and depth of UK expertise to protect ourselves and our allies. This includes building the next generation of British warships.”
The expansion of the programme to build the frigates, designed for antisubmarine warfare, follows the attacks on Europe’s Nord Stream gas pipelines, which have been blamed on the Kremlin.
Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, welcomed the announcement, saying he was “proud to lead the cross-party campaign for these frigates to be based in Devonport as a like-for-like replacement for the Type 23 frigates currently based here”.
He added: “The Type 26 is a worldclass design and will ensure the Royal Navy has a technological edge in the North Atlantic against Russian submarines, in particular.” However, Mr Pollard warned the new frigate build programme is delayed and the Government still has not confirmed that the contracts to refit the Type 26 frigates will go to Devonport.
“The huge frigate refit sheds are a Plymouth landmark, but they represent hundreds of skilled jobs in the dockyard. Now we have the contract placed for the final five ships, let’s get the contract for their future refits given to Devonport too,” he said.
“The Government has not yet announced who will build the new Fleet Solid Support ships, the supply ships for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Labour would build these huge new ships in British shipyards using British steel, but I fear the Government is planning on sending the contract to a foreign shipyard.”
Meanwhile, Mr Sunak again declined to commit to a promise from his predecessor, Liz Truss, to raise defence spending to 3% of GDP, compared to the Nato minimum of 2.5%, as he and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt seek to balance the books. He downplayed concerns that ditching the target could be seen as a weakness by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“We’ve got not just a current but a historic track record of being strong investors in defence and prioritising Nato,” the Prime Minister said. “I think people can feel completely assured that we’re investing in our defences.”